1. Families
and the Church in
God’s Plan
(From Handbook 2 : Administering the Church
Published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2010)
1.1 God the Father’s Plan for His Eternal Family
The Premortal Family of God
The fam ily is ordained of God. It is the m ost im portant
unit in tim e and in eternity. Even before we were born on
the earth, we were part of a fam ily. Each of us “is a beloved
spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents” with “a divine
nature and destiny” (“The Fam ily: A Proclam ation to the
W orld,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 102). God is our Heavenly
Father, and we lived in His presence as part of His fam ily in
the prem ortal life. There we learned our first lessons and
were prepared for m ortality (see D&C 138:56).
1.1.1
The Purpose of M ortality
Because of God’s love for us, He prepared a plan that
included our com ing to the earth, where we would receive
bodies and be tested so that we could progress and
becom e more like Him . This plan is called “the plan of
salvation” (Alm a 24:14), “the great plan of happiness” (Alm a
42:8), and “the plan of redem ption” (Alm a 12:25; see also
verses 26–33).
The purpose of God’s plan is to lead us to eternal life.
God declared, “This is m y work and m y glory— to bring to
pass the im m ortality and eternal life of m an” (Moses 1:39).
Eternal life is God’s greatest gift to His children (see D&C
14:7). It is exaltation in the highest degree of the celestial
kingdom . Through the plan of salvation, we can receive this
blessing of returning to God’s presence and receiving a
fulness of joy.
1.1.2
1.1.3 The Atonement of Jesus Christ
In order to gain exaltation in the kingdom of God, we
m ust overcom e two obstacles of m ortality: death and sin.
Because we cannot overcom e either obstacle by ourselves,
Heavenly Father sent H is Son, Jesus Christ, to be our
Savior and Redeem er. The Savior’s atoning sacrifice m ade
it possible for all of God’s children to overcom e physical
death, be resurrected, and gain im m ortality. The Atonem ent
also m ade it possible for those who repent and follow Him
to overcom e spiritual death, return to God’s presence to
dwell with Him , and obtain eternal life (see D&C 45:3–5).
1.1.4 The Role of Families in God’s Plan
As part of our Heavenly Father’s plan, we were born into
fam ilies. He established fam ilies to bring us happiness, to
help us learn correct principles in a loving atm osphere, and
to prepare us for eternal life.
Parents have the vital responsibility to help their children
prepare to return to Heavenly Father. Parents fulfill this
responsibility by teaching their children to follow Jesus
Christ and live His gospel.
1.1.5 The Role of the Church
The Church provides the organization and m eans for
teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to all of God’s children.
It provides the priesthood authority to adm inister the
ordinances of salvation and exaltation to all who are worthy
and willing to accept them .
1.2 Returning to the Father
The Gospel of Jesus Christ
The plan of salvation is the fulness of the gospel. It
includes the Creation, the Fall, the Atonem ent of Jesus
Christ, and all the laws, ordinances, and doctrines of the
gospel. It provides the way for us to experience joy in
m ortality (see 2 Nephi 2:25) as well as the blessing of
eternal life.
Through the Atonem ent of Jesus Christ, we can be
cleansed and sanctified from sin and prepare to enter again
into the presence of our Eternal Father. To receive this
blessing, we m ust follow the principles and ordinances of
the gospel (see Articles of Faith 1:3). W e m ust:
1.2.1
1. Exercise faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Only
Begotten Son of God.
2. Turn to God through sincere repentance, having a
change of heart and confessing and forsaking sins.
3. Receive the saving ordinance of baptism for the
rem ission of sins.
4. Be confirm ed a m em ber of the Church and receive
the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands.
5. Endure to the end by keeping sacred covenants.
These principles have been taught since the days of
Adam . As we com e to understand and believe these truths
and gain a firm testim ony of Jesus Christ, we strive to obey
His com m andm ents and want to share our blessings with
our fam ily and others (see 1 Nephi 8:9–37). W ith this
secure foundation of testim ony, other elem ents of Church
activity follow naturally.
Personal spiritual growth takes place as we draw close to
God through prayer, scripture study, pondering, and
obedience. Nephi taught:
“After ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I
would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for
ye have not com e thus far save it were by the word of
Christ with unshaken faith in him , relying wholly upon the
m erits of him who is m ighty to save.
“W herefore, ye m ust press forward with a
steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of
hope, and a love of God and of all m en. W herefore, if ye
shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and
endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall
have eternal life” (2 Nephi 31:19–20).
Each of us is accountable before God to learn and keep
His com m andm ents and to live the gospel. W e will be
judged according to our actions, the desires of our hearts,
and the kind of people we have becom e. As we becom e
true followers of Jesus Christ, we experience a m ighty
change of heart and “have no m ore disposition to do evil”
(Mosiah 5:2; see also Alm a 5:12–15; Moroni 10:32–33). As
we live the gospel of Jesus Christ, we grow line upon line,
becom ing m ore like the Savior in loving and serving others.
1.2.2 The Role of Church Leaders and Teachers
Priesthood and auxiliary leaders and teachers strive to
help others becom e true followers of Jesus Christ (see
Mosiah 18:18–30). To assist individuals and fam ilies in this
effort, they:
1. Teach and testify of the pure doctrines of the gospel
of Jesus Christ.
2. Strengthen individuals and fam ilies in their efforts to
keep their sacred covenants.
3. Provide counsel, support, and opportunities for
service.
In addition, certain priesthood leaders have the authority
to oversee the perform ance of the saving priesthood
ordinances.
1.3 Establishing Eternal Families
Fam ilies are central to God’s plan, which provides a way for
fam ily relationships to extend beyond the grave. Sacred
tem ple ordinances and covenants, faithfully kept, help us
return to the presence of God, united eternally with our
fam ilies.
1.3.1 Husband and W ife
Exaltation in the highest degree of the celestial kingdom
can be attained only by those who have faithfully lived the
gospel of Jesus Christ and are sealed as eternal
com panions.
The sealing of husband and wife for tim e and eternity by
the authority of the priesthood— also known as tem ple
m arriage— is a sacred privilege and obligation that all
should strive to receive. It is the foundation of an eternal
fam ily.
The nature of m ale and fem ale spirits is such that they
com plete each other. Men and wom en are intended to
progress together toward exaltation.
The Lord has com m anded husbands and wives to cleave
to each other (see Genesis 2:24; D&C 42:22). In this
com m andm ent, the word cleave m eans to be com pletely
devoted and faithful to som eone. Married couples cleave to
God and one another by serving and loving each other and
by keeping covenants in com plete fidelity to one another
and to God (see D&C 25:13).
A couple is to becom e one in establishing their fam ily as
the basis of a righteous life. Latter-day Saint husbands and
wives leave behind their single life and establish their
m arriage as the first priority in their lives. They allow no
other person or interest to have greater priority in their lives
than keeping the covenants they have m ade with God and
each other. Nonetheless, m arried couples continue to love
and support their parents and siblings while focusing on
their own fam ilies. Sim ilarly, wise parents realize that their
fam ily responsibilities continue throughout life in a spirit of
love and encouragem ent.
Being one in m arriage requires a full partnership. For
exam ple, Adam and Eve worked together, prayed and
worshipped together, sacrificed together, taught their
children the gospel together, and m ourned over wayward
children together (see M oses 5:1, 4, 12, 27). They were
united with each other and with God.
Parents and Children
“The first com m andm ent that God gave to Adam and Eve
pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and
wife. … God’s com m andm ent for His children to m ultiply
and replenish the earth rem ains in force” (“The Fam ily: A
Proclam ation to the W orld”). By divine design, both a m an
and a wom an are essential for bringing children into
m ortality and providing the best setting for the rearing and
nurturing of children.
Com plete sexual abstinence before m arriage and total
fidelity within m arriage protect the sanctity of this sacred
responsibility. Parents and priesthood and auxiliary leaders
should do all they can to reinforce this teaching.
Concerning the roles of fathers and m others, Church
leaders have taught: “Fathers are to preside over their
fam ilies in love and righteousness and are responsible to
provide the necessities of life and protection for their
fam ilies. Mothers are prim arily responsible for the nurture
of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers
and m others are obligated to help one another as equal
partners” (“The Fam ily: A Proclam ation to the W orld”).
W hen there is no father in the hom e, the m other presides
over the fam ily.
Parents have a divinely appointed responsibility “to rear
their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their
physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and
serve one another, observe the com m andm ents of God,
and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live” (“The
Fam ily: A Proclam ation to the W orld”; see also Mosiah
4:14–15).
W ise parents teach their children to apply the healing,
reconciling, and strengthening power of the Atonem ent
within their fam ily. Just as sin, m ortal weaknesses,
1.3.2
em otional hurt, and anger are conditions that separate
God’s children from Him , these sam e conditions can
separate fam ily m em bers from each other. Each fam ily
m em ber has a responsibility to strive for fam ily unity.
Children who learn to strive for unity at hom e will find it
easier to do so outside the hom e.
Unm arried M embers of the Church
All m em bers, even if they have never m arried or are
without fam ily in the Church, should strive for the ideal of
living in an eternal fam ily. This m eans preparing to becom e
worthy spouses and loving fathers or m others. In som e
cases these blessings will not be fulfilled until the next life,
but the ultim ate goal is the sam e for all.
Faithful m em bers whose circum stances do not allow
them to receive the blessings of eternal m arriage and
parenthood in this life will receive all prom ised blessings in
the eternities, provided they keep the covenants they have
m ade with God.
1.3.3
1.4 The Home and the Church
In the teachings and practices of the restored gospel, the
fam ily and the Church help and strengthen each other. To
qualify for the blessings of eternal life, fam ilies need to learn
the doctrines and receive the priesthood ordinances that are
available only through the C hurch. To be a strong and vital
organization, the Church needs righteous fam ilies.
God has revealed a pattern of spiritual progress for
individuals and fam ilies through ordinances, teaching,
program s, and activities that are hom e centered and Church
supported. Church organizations and program s exist to bless
individuals and fam ilies and are not ends in them selves.
Priesthood and auxiliary leaders and teachers seek to assist
parents, not to supersede or replace them .
Priesthood and auxiliary leaders m ust endeavor to
strengthen the sacredness of the hom e by ensuring that all
Church activities support the lives of individuals and fam ilies.
Church leaders need to be careful not to overwhelm fam ilies
with too m any Church responsibilities. Parents and Church
leaders work together to help individuals and fam ilies return
to our Father in Heaven by following Jesus Christ.
1.4.1 Strengthening the Hom e
Followers of Christ are invited to “gather,” “stand in holy
places,” and “be not m oved” (D&C 45:32; 87:8; 101:22; see
also 2 Chronicles 35:5; Matthew 24:15). These holy places
include tem ples, hom es, and chapels. The presence of the
Spirit and the behavior of those within these physical
structures are what m ake them “holy places.”
W herever Church m em bers live, they should establish a
hom e where the Spirit is present. All m em bers of the
Church can m ake efforts to ensure that their place of
residence provides a place of sanctuary from the world.
Every hom e in the Church, large or sm all, can be a “house
of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of
learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of
God” (D&C 88:119). Church m em bers can invite the Spirit
into their hom es through sim ple m eans such as wholesom e
entertainm ent, good m usic, and inspiring artwork (for
exam ple, a painting of the Savior or a tem ple).
A hom e with loving and loyal parents is the setting in
which the spiritual and physical needs of children are m ost
effectively m et. A Christ-centered hom e offers adults and
children a place of defense against sin, refuge from the
world, healing from em otional and other pain, and
com m itted, genuine love.
Parents have always been com m anded to bring up their
children “in the nurture and adm onition of the Lord”
(Ephesians 6:4; Enos 1:1) and “in light and truth” (D&C
93:40). The First Presidency proclaim ed:
“W e call upon parents to devote their best efforts to the
teaching and rearing of their children in gospel principles
which will keep them close to the Church. The hom e is the
basis of a righteous life, and no other instrum entality can
take its place or fulfill its essential functions in carrying
forward this God-given responsibility.
“W e counsel parents and children to give highest priority
to fam ily prayer, fam ily hom e evening, gospel study and
instruction, and wholesom e fam ily activities. However
worthy and appropriate other dem ands or activities m ay be,
they m ust not be pe rm itted to displace the
divinely-appointed duties that only parents and fam ilies can
adequately perform ” (First Presidency letter, Feb. 11,
1999).
Parents have the prim ary responsibility for helping their
children know Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ
(see John 17:3). Latter-day Saint fathers and m others have
been com m anded to teach gospel doctrines, ordinances,
covenants, and ways of righteous living to their children
(see D&C 68:25–28). Children who are so reared and
taught are more likely to be prepared at the appropriate age
to receive priesthood ordinances and to m ake and keep
covenants with God.
Strengthening fam ilies is the focus of inspired Church
program s such as hom e teaching (see D&C 20:47, 51),
visiting teaching, and fam ily hom e evening. As in all things,
Jesus set the exam ple of entering hom es to m inister, teach,
and bless (see Matthew 8:14–15; 9:10–13; 26:6; Mark
5:35–43; Luke 10:38–42; 19:1–9).
1.4.2 Family Home Evening
Latter-day prophets have counseled parents to hold a
weekly fam ily hom e evening to teach their children the
gospel, bear testim ony of its truthfulness, and strengthen
fam ily unity. Stake and ward leaders are to keep Monday
evenings free from all Church m eetings and activities so
fam ily hom e evenings m ay be held.
Fam ily hom e evening m ay include fam ily prayer, gospel
instruction, testim ony sharing, hym ns and Prim ary songs,
and wholesom e recreational activities. (For inform ation on
using m usic in the hom e, see 14.8.) As part of fam ily hom e
evening, or separately, parents m ay also call a periodic
fam ily council to set goals, resolve problem s, coordinate
schedules, and give support and strength to fam ily
m em bers.
Fam ily hom e evening is sacred, private fam ily tim e under
the direction of the parents. Priesthood leaders should not
give directions as to what fam ilies should do during this
tim e.
1.4.3 Strengthening Individuals
Church leaders should give special attention to
individuals who do not presently enjoy the support of a
fam ily of strong Church m em bers. These m em bers m ay
include children and youth whose parents are not m em bers
of the Church, other individuals in part-m em ber fam ilies,
and single adults of all ages. They are covenant m em bers
of God’s eternal fam ily, deeply loved by Him . These
individuals should be given opportunities for service in the
Church. The Church can provide wholesom e sociality and
fellowship that these m em bers can find nowhere else.
Every m em ber of the Church is as precious as every
other. God’s eternal plan provides for all of His faithful
children to receive every blessing of eternal life, exalted in
fam ilies forever.